Policy Matters | U.S. Department of Education Provides Updated FAQs for CARES Act Funds (October 2020)
Major Updates
- U.S. Department of Education Provides Updated FAQs for CARES Act Funds
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education released updated FAQs around the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocations. This included clarifications that it would not take enforcement measures against universities who issued funds to students who were not Title IV aid-eligible prior to the Department issuing an interim final rule saying those students were ineligible for aid. They also clarified the institutional portion of the allocation to universities could be used “to purchase equipment or software, pay for online licensing fees, or pay for internet service to enable students to transition to distance learning as such costs are associated with a significant change in the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus. An institution may also use Institutional Portion funds for any other costs for computer system upgrades that are reasonably related to ‘significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus.’ This would not include, for example, previously planned upgrades to computer systems.”
- Department of Homeland Security Revokes/Will Not Renew 1,100 International Student Work Permits Amid Fraud Allegations
More than 1,100 international students who are part of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program which allows F1 visa students the ability to work in the United States have been revoked, or will not be renewed, based on the Department of Homeland Security’s crackdown on fraudulent use of the program, which “could involve working in a position that doesn’t relate to a student’s field of study.” The OPT program has been credited with providing a slight enrollment bump in foreign students to universities nationwide. The efforts also continue the Administration’s crackdowns on foreign influence in American institutions, including recent foreign gift giving and contract audits along with other restrictions.
Read more here.
Other News
- Warren, Senate Democrats Urge DeVos to Hold Owners of For-Profits Financially Liable (Inside Higher Ed)
- U.S. Department of Education Uncovers Vast Underreporting of Foreign Gifts and Contracts by Higher Education Institutions (U.S. Department of Education)
- Two More Major Lawsuits Filed Against Trump H-1B Visa Restrictions (Forbes)
- No More Clery Act Handbook (Inside Higher Ed)
- Webinar: Protecting the Ever-Increasing Endpoints in Higher Education (Thompson Coburn LLP)
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Abram Hedtke, St. Cloud State University
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